1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera for recording an image, a printer for printing an image, and a print system composed thereof.
2. Related Background Art
There is conventionally known a printer of line thermal transfer system employing a heat-sensitive sheet as the printing sheet and selectively driving plural heat generating members arranged in the main scanning direction, thereby printing a dotted line on the sheet by conveying the sheet in the sub scanning direction.
With the recent progress in the image input device such as the digital camera, digital video camera or scanner, the printer device of thermal transfer system is attracting attention as the printing means.
This is because the printer of the thermal transfer system is capable of providing a smooth image of high quality since controllable heat level can be easily changed in each pixel, so that plural gradation levels can be obtained for each pixel. Also the performance of the thermal head and that of the printing sheet have progressed to provide an image print comparable to the print of silver halide photography in image quality, and such printer is attracting attention for printing a photographic image together with the recent progress in digital cameras.
Consequently there is being commercialized a system in which such printing apparatus and an image pickup apparatus such as a digital camera or a digital video camera are directly connected or integrally constructed to print the taken image information without going through a device for processing the image information such as a computer.
Such system enables to easily achieve photographic printout of the image information from the digital camera or digital video camera and is very convenient.
As an example, the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-65182 discloses an image input-output system capable of achieving input and output in an integral configuration. Such composite camera integrally includes image pickup means provided with an electronic view finder and capable of recording the image information on a recording medium, and print means for printing the image information on a recording sheet, and is also provided with control means for interrupting the electric power supply to the above-mentioned electronic view finder while the print means prints the image information on the recording sheet. Such configuration is effective for saving the electric power since the electric power is not supplied to the electronic view finder during the printing operation, so that the user can easily use the system without worrying about the electric power supply.
Also the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-243327 describes the connection between an image input apparatus and an image output apparatus. There is disclosed an image input-output system consisting of an image output apparatus and an image input apparatus, wherein the image output apparatus is capable of receiving and outputting the image signal from the image input apparatus and is provided with a power supply unit for supplying the image input apparatus with electric power, while the image input apparatus is connected with the image output apparatus by a connection cable for transmitting the image data to the image output apparatus and for receiving the electric power supply from the image output apparatus. The image input apparatus is provided with discrimination means for electric power supply and a power supply unit, and is capable of using the electric power from the image output apparatus or that from the power supply unit utilizing the discrimination means. Since the electric power can be supplied from the image output apparatus, the print output operation can be executed without attention being paid to the remaining electric power of the image input apparatus such as the digital camera, so that the user can easily use the image input-output apparatus without worrying about the electric power supply.
Also the image output apparatus employed in the above-described image input-output apparatus can generally adapt to apparatuses different from the above-mentioned image input apparatus, and can be connected, for example, to a digital camera by an exclusive connection cable as explained in the foregoing or to a personal computer by an ordinary print cable (serial or parallel). Thus the user can use a single image output apparatus for the image output for a digital camera or as the printer of a personal computer.
Also the camera is connected with the printer or the computer utilizing USB (universal serial bus).
However, such conventional example does not provide a satisfactory solution in compactization, cost, speed, convenience of use etc. in sufficient manner in case a system is constructed with a printer apparatus and an image input apparatus such as a digital camera.
In particular, certain preparation are required until the printing operation can be executed, so that the print can be easily obtained.
For example, in order to executing a printing operation by a print instruction from the digital camera, it is required to connect the printer apparatus to the digital camera, then to confirm that the printing is enabled, to set the digital camera at a print mode and to provide the print instruction in such print mode.
Also in case the printer is connectable not only to the digital camera but also to a personal computer or the like, it is necessary, in such printer, to set that the connection is made to the digital camera. Consequently there is required a procedure of executing such setting in the digital camera in the digital camera, so that it is furthermore difficult to obtain the print easily.
Furthermore, in case of utilizing the USB, the connector of the host (master) and the connector of the function (slave: peripheral device) are mutually different in shape, so that, in case of USB connection with a printer constituting a new function with the camera provided with a connector for USB connection with a host, the camera has to be additionally provided with a connector for printer connection.